They are ringette pioneers.
When Saynia Pickering, Justine Lamothe and Murdine Leboe skate at the Tim Hortons national championship next week in Cambridge, Ont., they'll be part of the first-ever northern-based squad to compete as Team B.C. in the tournament's Under-16 double-A division. Usually, the B.C. representative at nationals hails from the Lower Mainland or the southern interior.
"I'm so excited," said Pickering, a 14-year-old defenceman. "It's a huge opportunity for us to get to go that far and play the high-calibre teams."
This season, Pickering, Lamothe and Leboe have been playing for the Northern Lights regional all-star team. The Northern Lights -- who also have Houston, Terrace and Quesnel players on their roster -- earned the right to wear Team B.C. gear at nationals when they won the provincial title earlier this month in Houston. In the championship final, they wiped out a 3-0 deficit against the Lower Mainland and won 6-5 in overtime.
At nationals, March 27 to April 2, Team B.C. will be one of nine clubs in the U-16 double-A group. B.C. will be joined by Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and host Cambridge. In its tournament-opener, B.C. will take on Nova Scotia.
Offensively, the Northern Lights don't usually have trouble scoring. In their four games at provincials, they fired a total of 30 goals. Their big gun is typically Quesnel product Emily McMartin but they are known for spreading the production around.
Lamothe, a 16-year-old forward, said team chemistry is a big factor in the success they have had thus far. And that chemistry has had limited time in which to develop.
"I think we've had two practices the whole year as a team and the rest of the double-A teams practice probably every day together -- dryland training and on the ice," she said. "We have just meshed together."
While the speedy Lamothe helps to spark the offence, Pickering and Leboe look after their own end of the rink. As part of the defence corps, Pickering normally takes on a stay-at-home role because her partner, Quesnel's Jessica MacDonald, is skilled at jumping up into the play and does so on a regular basis.
As for the 14-year-old Leboe, she's one of the team's goaltenders and is exceptional when it comes to playing her angles properly. She can't wait to face the top shooters in the country.
"I like playing [against] the higher shooters because it's easier to make the save, actually," she said. "I'll definitely get a lot of practice [at nationals]."
Pickering, Lamothe and Leboe were all born and raised in Prince George and attend Duchess Park secondary school.
Other team members are Sydney Kaleta, Aimee Qualizza, Katie Berg, Jamie Beck, Ricki Burt, Hannah Young, Erin Wiggins, Cheyann Newman, Rebecca Milligan and goaltender Colleen Moorhouse. For nationals, Nina Tajbakhsh of North Vancouver and Emily Jude of Pitt Meadows have been added to the lineup.
Don McMartin is the head coach. He is assisted by Art Lamothe and Melinda Moorhouse.
n The trip to nationals is expected to cost about $2,500 per player. If individuals or businesses in the community are interested in making financial contributions, they are asked to contact Donna Lamothe at 250-962-2544.
